Possible Clues:

• Like some floors
• Gone to collect windcheater, finally given a coat
• Put coat on and disappeared across river
• Top of vase decorated, though no good lacquered
• Removed from sight without rhyme or reason, initially? That's glossed over
• Put on a hard transparent coating
• Put on coat and disappeared across river
• Put a coat on and disappeared around the end of December
• Having a hard transparent coating
• Stained and protected